Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Chicken Pot Pie with Cilantro Biscuits

Ah, no one thought to guess chicken pot pie with cilantro biscuits? Gee, you mean that's not the first thing that comes to mind when I ask you what you thought I'd do with buttermilk? :P

So pretty isn't it? I must admit, it wasn't all my idea. I got it from seeing Alicia of Posie Gets Cozy's lovely picture of parsley biscuits. I love Chicken Pot Pie. I usually make it with a double-pie crust and a filling of chicken, onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, and a can of cream of mushroom soup.

On this particular evening though, after I made my buttermilk biscuit (singular), I wanted to use the opportunity to clean out my freezer. So I used frozen peas and frozen pumpkin (From my garden last year!) left over from when I cooked a pumpkin curry long ago.

You can make the buttermilk biscuit dough and let it rest while you make the filling. Or make the filling first, and let it cool down while you work on the dough. Whatever. I won't tell you what to do.

On medium-high heat, saute diced onion until softened. Add diced chicken and stir until almost cooked through. Then add 1 or 2 cups peas, 1/2 cup carrots or more if you wish, and 1 cup pumpkin or potatoes. Dissolve 2 tblsp of cornstarch into 1/2 cup of milk. Gradually increase amount of milk to 1 cup if needed until the mixture is like so. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour mixture into a pie plate and set aside.

Now, I know cilantro is a love it or hate it herb. If you're one of the haters, you can substitute with parsley or some other herb of your choosing. I like cilantro, and I like how pretty the leaves look on these biscuits. So there!

Tear off however many leaves you wish. No stems please. Gently press them into your biscuit dough. You can use whatever method you wish. Then roll out your dough and cut into shapes. I like hearts. :)

Target! $1 section last Valentine's Day!

Here's another angle because it's just so pretty.

Figure out how many biscuits will fit on top of your pie plate. If you have a lot left over, you can bake the biscuits separately. If it's just a few little dribs of dough, I just mixed it into my pot pie filling to thicken it. Lay the biscuits on top of the filling.

Since the pumpkin or potatoes are already pre-cooked and softened, the pie is ready in the amount of time it takes to cook the biscuits. 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. If you want the pie filling cooked longer, lower the temperature of the oven and increase cooking time.

What a fun twist on pot pie. I make veggie pot pie (because I'm a veg), but next time I do, I will have to make these fun biscuits for the top. It's funny, because if I had put fresh herbs in the dough, I would have finely chopped them. But, I love how they look like pressed leaves this way. Much more beautiful. What a fun hearty meal!

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